Wednesday, October 9, 2013

What child ever wants to go to sleep when mommy and daddy say to? Every child and
parent will be able to relate to this book about the process it takes for one
stubborn baby to finally fall asleep.

This
book is a little reminiscent of the timeless book Good Night Moon, in how
various nearby objects and animals, like the sun and moon, stars, nearby cars,
bunnies, frogs and the baby’s toys talk to the baby and take part in trying to
soothe the baby to sleep.

The
illustrations are done by Jules Feiffer, of The Phantom Tollbooth fame, each
illustration recalling that classic book. The illustrations are striking and
colorful and feature corresponding text to sounds objects and animals make,
such as the “beep, beep” of a car, or the “baa, baa” of sheep, which are good
associations for children when reading books, and add a little something eye
catching to the illustrations.

All
in all, this is fun book that I can easily see parents and children reading
together over and over at bedtime.

Of the many different retellings of fairy tales I have ever
read, this one is one of my favorites. This reinterpretation of The Ugly
Duckling is set during prehistoric dinosaur times and features the ancient
ancestors of today’s ducks as the duck family and a baby Tyrannosaurus Rex as
the ugly duckling. The resemblance between a duck and a dinosaur is so
different that you have to wonder how a T-Rex egg even ended up among duck
eggs, but this ridiculousness is part of the charm of the story.

The author’s narration of the familiar fairy tale is enjoyable and easy to follow,
but it is really the illustrations that make the book what it is. Many of the
illustrations made me laugh because it is not often that you see a baby T-Rex
trying to act like a little duckling. My favorite illustration features the
T-Rex’s duckling “siblings” following after their mother, waddling into the
water, while the T-Rex clumsily clomps behind them with a gait that could never
be mistaken as a duck waddle. Another hilarious illustration shows the ugly
duckling trying to fit in by disguising himself with feathers.

Dinosaur
lovers will enjoy the glimpses of a variety of dinosaur creatures the baby
T-Rex meets up with on his quest to find his place in the world. These other
featured dinosaurs include, Pteranodons, Stegosauruses, and Deinoychuses. The
author’s note page features more detailed information about various dinosaurs
with more scientific images for those readers who wish to learn more.